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Non-towered · Class G at the surface

Orcas Island (KORS) radio calls

Eastsound, WAICAO KORS · FAA ORS

Orcas Island is a non-towered airport in Eastsound, WA. Nobody clears you to do anything: you self-announce on the CTAF, 128.25, as Orcas Island Traffic, with the airport name at the start and end of each call. The approach control for the area is Whidbey Approach on 132.7, which is who you call for VFR flight following.

No Class B, C, D or E surface area is designated for this airport in the FAA data, so the airspace at the surface is Class G.

Frequencies

CTAFOrcas Island Traffic128.25
Approach / DepartureWhidbey Approach132.7

Airport

Runways
16 · 34
Right-hand pattern
Runway 34
Elevation
35 ft
Pattern altitude
1,000 ft MSL (published TPA)
Position
48.708, -122.911

Non-towered airport: self-announce on the CTAF

Sample calls at KORS

Orcas Island has no operating control tower. Every call below goes out on the CTAF, 128.25, to the other aircraft, not to a controller. The runway shown is 16; use whichever runway the wind and the traffic dictate on the day.

The aircraft is the AIM’s own example, Cessna Three One Six Zero Foxtrot; the squawk codes, altitudes and headings are illustrative. Frequencies, station names and runway numbers are this airport’s, from the FAA data.

  1. Tune 128.25. Nobody clears you; you announce and you listen. The airport name goes at the start and the end of every call, and the runway is always a number, never "the active" (AIM 4-1-9 g 8).
  2. YouOrcas Island traffic, Cessna Three One Six Zero Foxtrot, taxiing to runway one six, Orcas Island.
  3. YouOrcas Island traffic, Cessna Six Zero Foxtrot, departing runway one six, departing the pattern to the north, Orcas Island.
  4. Announce until you are about 10 miles out; on the way back, start announcing at 10 miles (AIM 4-1-9 c 1, TBL 4-1-1).
  5. YouOrcas Island traffic, Cessna Three One Six Zero Foxtrot, one zero miles south, two thousand five hundred, landing Orcas Island, Orcas Island.
  6. YouOrcas Island traffic, Cessna Six Zero Foxtrot, entering left downwind runway one six, full stop, Orcas Island.
  7. YouOrcas Island traffic, Cessna Six Zero Foxtrot, left base runway one six, Orcas Island.
  8. YouOrcas Island traffic, Cessna Six Zero Foxtrot, final runway one six, full stop, Orcas Island.
  9. YouOrcas Island traffic, Cessna Six Zero Foxtrot, clear of runway one six, Orcas Island.

If things change. Want flight following after departure? Call Whidbey Approach on 132.7 once clear of the pattern: identification, type, position, altitude, destination, "request VFR flight following" (AIM 4-1-18 a 3). Do not use "any traffic in the area, please advise"; the AIM says it is not to be used under any condition (AIM 4-1-9 g 1).

Phraseology from AIM 4-1-9 c 1, g 1, g 8, h; TBL 4-1-1; 4-3-3. What TowerTalk grades against →

The calls you will make here

Nearby in Washington

Frequencies, runways and airspace from the FAA National Airspace System Resources (NASR) 28-day subscription, cycle effective Oct 29, 2026. Training use only. Always verify against a current Chart Supplement and sectional chart before flight; frequencies change. TowerTalk is not affiliated with the FAA. Report a discrepancy.

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